Details

With age, versatility.

Selle SMP bills the Stratos as its most versatile pro-tier saddle. Fitting, then, that it's one of the headliners of the brand's 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Saddle line. Selle SMP has always been obsessed with details, but the anniversary Stratos gets some additional love in the form of tricolor details, special branding, even softer embroidery, a hand-painted baseplate, and special bolts machined in an Italian workshop. The result proves that versatility doesn't fade with age—or, as Il Campionissimo apocryphally has it, "age and treachery will overcome youth and skill."

That's not to say there's no skill in the saddle's construction. Indeed, the contrary is true: it features SMP's signature drooping nose, which has won support both in the CC office and around the world for the way it spares soft, sensitive tissues the punishment of spending hours in the drops. A generous central channel also helps here, and the flat mid-section and raised tail offer support and help to rotate your hips into a powerful tilt. Comfort shouldn't come at the cost of efficiency.

One of the most versatile race-tier saddles available

Selle SMP celebrates 70 years with special aesthetics

Sized for pelvises (and pants sizes) ranging from small to large

Dropped nose and central channel alleviate pressure

Raised tail coaches hips into efficient pedaling position

Light padding focuses on comfort without bounciness

Steel rails and composite body ensure longevity—but maybe not for 70 years